Lemongrass chicken skewers with a peanuty sweet chili sauce are perfect served with jasmine rice & a cucumber salad or some steamed French beans. Quick to prepare & even faster to cook this recipe is not only handy to have in your summer grilling arsenal but it also doubles as a nice appetizer by popping it under the broiler in those cooler months when you mightn’t fancy brushing the snow off your barbie.
As you know, lemongrass is very woody but if you have a blender or a food processor, one of those can do the hard work for you. Its aroma & flavor impart such fresh, summery notes, lately I’ve been cooking more with lemongrass. As much as I love lemons, they’re not a substitute for lemongrass, source the real deal. Most grocery stores carry it, Asian markets or grow a plant, it’ll help keep the mozzies away, just keep it in a pot or it’ll take over your garden.
The peanut sweet chili sauce is pretty special. Three ingredients – peanut butter, sweet chili sauce & lime juice. Sauce, done! Now feel free to sub a nut butter such as cashew or almond. I love cashew butter but it was $8 compared to the $2 something peanut butter. I was on a budget so peanut butter it was. Or is…
The lemongrass marinade I made in one of the cups of my Ninja Blender making light work of that for me. And I opted for chicken tenderloins (tenders) so there was no slicing & dicing of the chicken. Then the three ingredient sauce that’s embarrassingly easy. Now, I have to confess, I was desperately ill taking these pics – not because of the chicken – NO! I’m not sure what it was, but I literally had to shoot it & collapse into bed so the pics are pretty straightforward. My apologies. Don’t let that deter you from how good this recipe is. We’ve made it three times recently after I made a similar version for the English Khoollect Mag. I hope you make it over & over again too. Until next time , Lovoni xo
LEMONGRASS CHICKEN SKEWER PIC TO SHARE ON PINTEREST
- 2 lemongrass stems, white & tender green part only, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro (coriander) leaves
- 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
- 2 tablespoons peanut (or vegetable) oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 12 chicken tenders
- 12 skewers
- lime wedges & cilantro (coriander) leaves, to serve
- SWEET CHILI PEANUT SAUCE
- 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- In a blender, add lemongrass, cilantro, chili sauce, soy sauce, ginger, oil & garlic; blend until smooth. Combine lemongrass mixture & chicken in medium bowl; stir to coat. Cover & marinate 1 hour or longer if timer permits. Thread chicken onto skewers.
- Preheat grill/barbecue to medium-high. Cook chicken for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked and grill marks appear.
- To make the sauce: in a bowl, stir all the ingredients until smooth. Serve the sauce with the chicken, lime & cilantro. Serves 4 to 6.
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